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Union County, New Jersey

Coordinates: 40°39′N 74°17′W / 40.65°N 74.29°W / 40.65; -74.29
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Union County
Downtown Westfield in July 2005
Downtown Westfield in July 2005
Flag of Union County
Official seal of Union County
Map of New Jersey highlighting Union County
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
Map of the United States highlighting New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°39′N 74°17′W / 40.65°N 74.29°W / 40.65; -74.29
Country United States
State New Jersey
Founded1857[1]
Named forUnion threatened by slavery dispute[2]
SeatElizabeth[3]
Largest cityElizabeth (population and area)
Government
 • Freeholder chairmanBette Jane Kowalski (D, term ends December 31, 2019)[4]
Area
 • Total
105.40 sq mi (273.0 km2)
 • Land102.86 sq mi (266.4 km2)
 • Water2.55 sq mi (6.6 km2)  2.42%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
575,545
 • Density5,593.5/sq mi (2,159.7/km2)
Congressional districts7th, 8th, 10th, 12th
Websitewww.ucnj.org
Map
Interactive map of Union County, New Jersey

Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 575,345, making it the seventh-most populous of the New Jersey's 21 counties. Its county seat is Elizabeth.[3]

In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $60,089, the seventh-highest in New Jersey and ranked 152nd of 3,113 counties in the United States.[5][6] The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 119th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the eighth-highest in New Jersey) in 2009.[7] A study by Forbes.com determined that Union County pays the second-highest property taxes of all U.S. counties, based on 2007 data.[8]

With a population density of 4,955 people per square mile (water excluded), Union County was the 15th-most densely populated county in the United States as of the 2010 Census, and third-densest in New Jersey, behind Hudson County (ranked 6th nationwide at 9,754 per square mile) and Essex County (ranked 11th at 6,126).[9][10]

History

All of present-day Union County was part of the Elizabethtown Tract, which was purchased in 1664, by English colonists from the Lenape Native Americans that lived in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey. Union County was formed on March 19, 1857, from portions of Essex County; it was the last of New Jersey's 21 counties to be established.[1]

Many historic places and structures are to be found in the county, including on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey.[11]

Every fall, Union County holds its annual "Four Centuries in a Weekend" festival for the public, celebrating and touring historic buildings, museums and sites in the county.[12]

Museums and historical societies

Union County Historical Society

In 1869, the Union County Historical Society of New Jersey was incorporated. The society meets at the Hanson House in Cranford.[13]

Municipal historical societies

  • Berkeley Heights - The Berkeley Heights Historical Society.[14]
  • Clark - The Clark Historical Society was founded in 1970. It operates the Dr. William Robinson Plantation House Museum, built in 1690 by a doctor from Scotland.[15]
  • Cranford - The Cranford Historic Preservation Advisory Board is an official township committee body, while the Cranford Historical Society itself is citizen-run. It is located in the Hanson House in Hanson Park on Springfield Avenue and maintains the Crane-Phillips House (c. 1845) a couple of blocks south on North Union Avenue as a museum.[16]
  • Garwood - Garwood Historical Committee.[17]
  • Hillside - The Hillside Historical Society, founded in 1975, meets at the Woodruff House.[18]
  • Kenilworth - The Kenilworth Historical Society dates to 1974. It runs the Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880).[19]
  • Linden - The Linden Society for Historical Preservation is an offshoot of an official cultural board in the city.[20]
  • Mountainside - The Mountainside Restoration Committee, Inc. is also called the Mountainside Historic Committee, founded in 1984.[21]
  • Plainfield - The Historical Society of Plainfield is headquartered at the Nathaniel Drake House Museum, built in 1746 on the Old York Road.[22][23]
  • Rahway - The Rahway Historical Society is now called the Merchants' and Drovers' Tavern Museum Association.[24]
  • Scotch Plains and Fanwood - The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Historical Society runs the Osborn Cannonball House.[25]
  • Springfield - The Historic Cannon Ball House serves as the home of the Springfield Historical Society.[26]
  • Westfield - The Westfield Historical Society is in the Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center, a structure from the 1870s. The Society also runs the Miller-Cory House Museum, in a home that dates back to the 1740s.[27]
  • Union - Union Township Historical Society is located in the 1782 historic Caldwell Parsonage. The Society's mission is to preserve and promote the rich and diverse history of the Township of Union.

Other historical preservation groups

  • Friends of Rahway River Parkway is dedicated to preserving Olmsted design principles and features of county parkland along the Rahway River as it flows to the Arthur Kill.[28]

Geography

According to the 2010 Census, the county had a total area of 105.40 square miles (273.0 km2), including 102.86 square miles (266.4 km2) of land (97.6%) and 2.55 square miles (6.6 km2) of water (2.4%).[29][30]

Much of Union County is relatively flat and low-lying. Only in the northwestern corner does any significant relief appear as the Watchung Mountains cross the county. It is there that highest elevations, two areas approximately 560 feet (170 m) above sea level, are found in Berkeley Heights.[31] The lowest elevation is sea level along the eastern shore at the Arthur Kill.

Rivers, lakes and streams

Climate and weather

Elizabeth, New Jersey
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
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48
 
 
3.6
 
 
55
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[32]
Metric conversion
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
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89
 
 
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74
 
 
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18
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7
−1
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm

In recent years,[when?] average temperatures in the county seat of Elizabeth have ranged from a low of 24 °F (−4 °C) in January to a high of 86 °F (30 °C) in July, although a record low of −14 °F (−26 °C) was recorded in February 1934 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1993. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.99 inches (76 mm) in February to 4.76 inches (121 mm) in July.[32] In Berkeley Heights average monthly temperatures range from 29.4 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July. [1] The climate in the county is hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) except east of approximately the New Jersey Turnpike where a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) exists.

Adjacent counties

Union County adjoins the following counties:[33]

Parks and recreation

Warinanco Park in Roselle

County parks are maintained and operated by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, successor agency to the Union County Park Commission.

Parks

County-run parks[34]

  • Ash Brook Reservation, Scotch Plains
  • Black Brook Park, Kenilworth
  • Briant Park, Summit[35][36]
  • Brookside Park, Scotch Plains
  • Cedar Brook Park, Plainfield
    • Home to the Shakespeare Garden.
  • Echo Lake Park, Westfield and Mountainside
    • The privately owned Echo Lake Country Club donated the parkland for this park in the 1920s. The name arises from the echo heard off the high bluff on the far side of the lake. Echo Lake itself was created by damning when mills were established on Nomahegan Brook, a tributary of the Rahway River. The Great Minisink Trail passed by Echo Lake Park.
  • Elizabeth River Parkway
  • Esposito Park, Clark
    • Features a 1/2-mile path with exercise equipment and a skate park
  • Green Brook Park, Plainfield (partial)
  • Hidden Valley Park, Springfield and Summit[37][36]
    • Eastern border is adjacent to the now-closed Houdaille Quarry.
  • Houdaille Quarry, Springfield (closed to public)
  • Kawameeh Park, Union
  • Lenape Park, Cranford, Westfield, and Kenilworth
    • In the 1930s, workers digging Lenape Lake found mastodon bones here.
  • Madison Avenue Park, Rahway
    • Adjacent to Rahway 7th and 8th Grade Academy
Mattano Park
  • Mattano Park, Elizabeth
    • Named for a Lenape tribal leader, whose name was recorded by colonists as Mattano. In 1664, a group called the Elizabethtown Associates bought land in the Union County area from Mattano and another Lenape leader named Warinanco.
  • McConnell Park, Cranford
    • Named for the first town doctor in Cranford
  • Milton Lake Park, Clark and Rahway
  • Mindowaskin Park, Westfield
  • Nomahegan Park, Cranford
  • Oak Ridge Park, Clark
  • Passaic River Parkway,[38][36] Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Summit
  • Phil Rizzuto Park, Elizabeth
  • Ponderosa Farm Park, Scotch Plains
  • Rahway River Park, Rahway
    • Environmental groups protested at the building of a stadium here in 2016. The movement gave birth to Friends of Rahway River Parkway.[39]
  • Rahway River Parkway
  • Snyder Avenue Park, Berkeley Heights
  • Sperry Park, Cranford
  • Stanley Avenue Park, Summit
  • Tamaques Park, Scotch Plains
  • Unami Park, Cranford, Garwood, and Westfield
  • Washington Avenue Park, Springfield
  • Watchung Reservation, Mountainside and Scotch Plains
  • Warinanco Park, Elizabeth and Roselle
    • Named for the Native American known as "Warinanco." Designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm.
  • Wheeler Park, Linden

Other notable parks

Parks that are not managed by county government include:

Rahway River Parkway

The Rahway River Parkway is a greenway of parkland that hugs the Rahway River and its tributaries, such as Nomahegan Brook. It was the inaugural project of the Union County Parks Commission designed in the 1920s by the Olmsted Brothers firm, who were the sons of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Several county and municipal parks run along the Rahway River.[45][46]

Elizabeth River Parkway

The Elizabeth River Parkway is a greenway of parkland alongside the Elizabeth River and its tributaries. It runs through Kean University and Liberty Hall Museum on the river's way to the Arthur Kill. The Elizabeth River Parkway is broken down into separate sections.

  • Chatfield/Zimmerman - Hillside and Union Township[47]
  • Lightning Brook - Hillside and Union[48]
  • Pruden/Pearl Oval - Elizabeth[49]
  • Salem/Rutgers/Liberty - Hillside and Union[50]
  • Woodruff/Conant Street - Hillside and Union[51]
  • Ursino - Hillside and Union Township[52]

Golf

Public golf courses

Union County's Division of Golf Operations runs two golf courses, which offer golf lessons and practice areas.[53]

  • Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains.
  • Galloping Hill Golf Course and Golf Learning Center in Kenilworth.[54] The facility, which hosts the headquarters of the New Jersey State Golf Association, hosted the 2016 New Jersey State Open golf tournament, the first public golf course to host the tournament since it was established in 1921.[55]

Private golf courses

Other recreational facilities

  • Clark Community Pool[58]
  • Centennial Avenue Pool in Cranford, NJ
  • Oak Ridge Archery Range
  • Orange Avenue Pool in Cranford, NJ
  • Trailside Nature and Science Center at Watchung Reservation
  • Warinanco Ice Skating Rink
Deserted Village of Feltville
  • Wheeler Park
  • Westfield Memorial Pool
  • Spray Pool – Wheeler Park (Linden)
  • County Pool – Rahway River Park (Rahway)

Potential rail-to-trails

Union County Park Line rail trail is a proposed walking and/or biking trail proposed on old railroad tracks. Two abandoned rails exist in the county.[59]

The City of Summit and the Summit Park Line Foundation are working on turning the line from Morris Avenue to Briant Park in Summit into a rail trail that will be approximately one mile long. This rail trail, potentially called the Summit Park Line, could provide a greenway to connect several county parks, akin to a Summit High Line.[60] A path could run directly from Summit to the Arthur Kill in Linden, New Jersey on the Rahway Valley Railroad and the Staten Island Rapid Transit line.

The Summit city council applied for a $1 million grant toward the Summit Park Line project in November 2016.[61] "If Summit is able to complete the project, it might help other parts of the greenway come through," said Union County Public Relations Coordinator, Sebastian Delia.[62]

The Rahway Valley Railroad runs from Summit to Roselle Park. Beginning in Hidden Valley Park, the railroad right-of-way continues by connecting Houdaille Quarry, Briant Park, Meisel Park, Rahway River Parkway, Galloping Hill Golf Course and Black Brook Park. The ending of the railway is on Westfield Avenue in Roselle Park. The Staten Island Rapid Transit runs from Cranford to Staten Island, although the project would only include the section that runs from Cranford to Linden.[62] The possible inception in Cranford would be a lot on South Avenue East. The ending of this trail would be in Linden at an empty lot. A boardwalk would run over the existing tracks to ease line reactivation.

The impact of the controversial planned Pilgrim Pipeline, which would use this particular abandoned rail line to pipe crude oil, kerosene, and diesel fuel through Cranford and Roselle, is not known.[63]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
186027,780
187041,85950.7%
188055,57132.8%
189072,46730.4%
190099,35337.1%
1910140,19741.1%
1920200,15742.8%
1930305,20952.5%
1940328,3447.6%
1950398,13821.3%
1960504,25526.7%
1970543,1167.7%
1980504,094−7.2%
1990493,819−2.0%
2000522,5415.8%
2010536,4992.7%
2020575,3457.2%
Historical sources: 1790–1990[64]
1970–2010[29] 2000[65]
2010[66] 2000–2010[67] 2010-2020[68]

Union County is diverse ethnically. Berkeley Heights, Clark, Roselle Park, Cranford, Kenilworth, Linden, New Providence, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union and Westfield have high percentages of Italian American residents. Elizabeth, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle and Union all have large African American communities. Roselle Park has a notably large Indian American community, while Roselle Park, Roselle, Linden, Rahway, Plainfield and particularly Elizabeth have fast-growing Hispanic and Portuguese populations.[citation needed]

The county's Jewish population was 35,000 as of 2004, with notable communities located in Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, Linden, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Union, and Westfield.[69]

2020 Census

2010 Census

Template:USCensusDemographics

Government

The Union County Courthouse prior to 1900.
Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

Union County is governed by a nine-member Board of County Commissioners as of 2021. The members are elected at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with three seats coming up for election each year. The Board sets policies for the operation of the county. The Commissioners perform the county's legislative and executive functions. In their legislative role, they formulate and adopt a budget and set county policies and procedures. In their executive role, they oversee county spending and functioning. Many of the administrative duties are delegated by the Board of Chosen Freeholders to the County Manager. Each of the commissioners serves on various committees and boards as a part of their duties. These include committees on Economic Development, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works and Policy. In addition, the Board oversees the county's Open Space Trust Fund. Day-to-day operation of the county and its departments is supervised by an appointed County Manager, Edward Oatman.[70] In 2016, freeholders were paid $30,692, while the Freeholder vice chairman received $31,732 and the Freeholder chairman had an annual salary of $32,773.[71]

As of 2019, Union County's Freeholders are:[4][72][73][74][75]

  • Chairman Bette Jane Kowalski (D, Cranford, New Jersey, term as freeholder ends December 31, 2022; term as chairman ends 2019)[76]
  • Freeholder Vice Chairman Alexander Mirabella (D, Fanwood, term as vice chairman ends 2019)[77]
  • Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded (D, Westfield, 2021)
  • Lourdes Leon (D, , 2023)[78]
  • Angela R. Garretson (D, Hillside, 2023)[79]
  • Christopher Hudak (D, Linden, 2023)[80]
  • Andrea Staten (D, Roselle, 2021) Not running for re-election
  • Sergio Granados (D, Elizabeth, 2022
  • Rebecca Williams (D, Plainfield, 2022; appointed to serve an unexpired term)[81]

In June 2018, Rebecca Williams was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that had been held by Linda Carter until she resigned from office to fill a vacant seat in the New Jersey General Assembly; William will served on an interim basis until the November 2018 general election, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.[82]

Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term).[83] Union County's constitutional officers are:

Union County constitutes Vicinage 12 of the New Jersey Superior Court and is seated at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, with additional facilities also located in Elizabeth; the Assignment Judge for Vicinage 12 is Karen M. Cassidy.[90]

Law enforcement at the county level includes the Union County Police Department, the Union County Sheriff's Office, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office. Union County's Acting Prosecutor is Michael A. Monahan.[91]

Union County has the only county seal in the nation that depicts a woman being shot, the murder of Elizabethtown's Hannah Caldwell by British soldiers during the American Revolutionary War.[92][93]

Federal Representation

Four Congressional Districts cover the county, including portions of the 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th Districts.[94][95] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 7th congressional district is represented by Thomas Kean Jr. (R, Westfield).[96] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 8th congressional district is represented by Rob Menendez (D, Jersey City).[97][98] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 10th congressional district is represented by LaMonica McIver (D, Newark).[99] For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, Ewing Township).[100][101]

State Representatives

The 21 municipalities of Union County are represented by three separate legislative districts.[102]

District Senator[103] Assembly[103] Municipalities
20th Joesph Cryan (D) Reginald Atkins (D)

Annette Quijano (D)

Elizabeth (128,333), Hillside (22,054), Roselle (21,637) and Union Township (58,488)
21st Jon Bramnick (R) Michele Matsikoudis (R)

Nancy Munoz (R)

Berkeley Heights (13,601), Cranford (24,169), Garwood (4,338), Kenilworth (8,161), Mountainside (6,826),

New Providence (13,049), Roselle Park (13,581), Springfield Township (17,517), Summit (21,913) and Westfield (29,877).

The remainder of this district covers portions of Morris County and Somerset County.

22nd Nicholas Scutari (D) James J. Kennedy (D)

Linda S. Carter (D)

Clark (15,943), Fanwood (7,660), Linden (42,222), Plainfield (50,362), Rahway (29,543),

Scotch Plains (24,405) and Winfield (1,509). The remainder of this district covers portions of Middlesex County and Somerset County.

Politics

As of August 1, 2020, there were a total of 359,672 registered voters in Union County, of whom 176,730 (49.1%) were registered as Democrats, 55,222 (15.4%) were registered as Republicans and 122,884 (34.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4,836 (1.3%) voters registered to other parties.[104] Among the county's 2010 Census population, 53.3% were registered to vote, including 70.6% of those ages 18 and over.[105][106]

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 139,752 votes here (66.0%), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 68,314 votes (32.3%) and other candidates with 1,765 votes (0.8%), among the 211,597 ballots cast by the county's 307,628 registered voters, for a turnout of 68.8%.[107][108] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 141,417 votes here (63.1%), ahead of Republican John McCain with 78,768 votes (35.2%) and other candidates with 1,912 votes (0.9%), among the 223,951 ballots cast by the county's 299,762 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.7%.[109] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 119,372 votes here (58.3%), ahead of Republican George W. Bush with 82,517 votes (40.3%) and other candidates with 1,498 votes (0.7%), among the 204,759 ballots cast by the county's 283,270 registered voters, for a turnout of 72.3%.[110]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[111]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 31.5% 80,002 67.0% 170,245 1.5% 3,794
2016 30.5% 68,114 65.9% 147,414 3.6% 8,042
2012 32.5% 68,314 66.5% 139,752 1.0% 2,022
2008 35.4% 78,768 63.6% 141,417 1.0% 2,241
2004 40.6% 82,517 58.7% 119,372 0.8% 1,613
2000 36.8% 68,554 60.1% 112,003 3.1% 5,816
1996 34.7% 65,912 56.8% 108,102 8.5% 16,227
1992 41.8% 87,742 46.0% 96,671 12.2% 25,699
1988 54.3% 112,967 44.8% 93,158 1.0% 2,028
1984 59.1% 135,446 40.2% 92,056 0.7% 1,638
1980 51.7% 112,288 39.6% 86,074 8.7% 18,977
1976 51.6% 118,019 46.4% 106,267 2.0% 4,616
1972 61.0% 148,290 37.2% 90,482 1.7% 4,201
1968 45.7% 110,309 45.5% 109,674 8.8% 21,273
1964 33.3% 82,999 66.2% 164,989 0.6% 1,359
1960 50.3% 123,224 49.0% 119,986 0.7% 1,798
1956 67.6% 146,228 31.2% 67,540 1.2% 2,646
1952 60.5% 122,885 38.5% 78,336 1.0% 2,024
1948 53.9% 87,402 41.2% 66,759 4.9% 8,019
1944 52.6% 86,543 46.2% 75,969 1.3% 2,113
1940 52.5% 79,962 46.5% 70,737 1.1% 1,597
1936 45.1% 59,553 53.6% 70,813 1.3% 1,731
1932 54.9% 67,512 41.8% 51,357 3.3% 4,092
1928 64.2% 68,119 35.3% 37,476 0.5% 497
1924 68.0% 50,356 19.9% 14,738 12.1% 8,966
1920 72.6% 39,409 22.3% 12,103 5.1% 2,791
1916 59.2% 16,705 36.6% 10,328 4.2% 1,181
1912 21.6% 5,421 38.5% 9,695 39.9% 10,040[112]
1908 60.9% 15,920 33.7% 8,809 5.4% 1,414
1904 58.9% 13,906 36.3% 8,574 4.8% 1,120
1900 59.0% 12,533 36.1% 7,667 5.0% 1,061
1896 61.5% 11,707 31.9% 6,073 6.4% 1,230
County CPVI: D+17

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 68,867 ballots cast (50.6%), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 56,769 votes (41.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 7,999 votes (5.9%) and other candidates with 1,058 votes (0.8%), among the 136,110 ballots cast by the county's 292,490 registered voters, yielding a 46.5% turnout.[113]

Sheriff's Office

The Union County Sheriff's Office is located in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Union County Sheriff's Office

It is currently headed by Peter Corvelli.

It was headed by Ralph Froehlich, a Union resident who was first elected in 1977 and served in office for 37 years, making him the longest-serving Sheriff in New Jersey history.[114] There are two top deputies, known as undersheriffs, and they are Dennis Burke and Amilcar Colon.

A 1981 investigation of the Union County Jail reviewed issues relating to overcrowding, escapes, escape attempts and suicides in the detention facility.[115]

On July 1, 2021, the Sheriff's Office regained control of the Union County Jail and made it a division within the organization; the Division of Corrections.

Union County Sheriff's Office - Division of Corrections

The New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 108 is the official labor union and collective bargaining agent for the Sheriff's Officers of Union County. This body is subdivided into Local 108 for the line officers and Local 108A for the supervisors (sergeants, lieutenants, & captains).

Union County Park Police

Union County Police

Union County is the only county with a county police department. The Union County Police Department operates independently of the Sheriff's office. The Union County Police Department originally began as the Union County Park Police. The Union County Police are tasked with patrolling Union County's properties. They also supplement the local municipalities with police presence and patrol when requested.[116] Captain James Debbie is the current Officer in Charge.

The Union County Police have several divisions and are relied upon for their multiple services. Currently assigned are Patrol, Detective Bureau, Emergency Services Unit, and the Marine Unit. Union County Regional 911 and Dispatch is one of the many services that the County Police provide. They are the primary PSAP for multiple municipalities, provide police/fire/EMS dispatch, dispatch medics, and Union County Fire Mutual Aid. The PD belongs to the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, Local 73.

The only line of duty death was under the Union County Park Police. After two years of service, Patrolman Fitzpatrick was killed by a drunk driver October 17, 1928.[117]

Education

Kean University, a co-educational, public research university dating back to 1855 is located in Union and Hillside, serving nearly 13,000 undergraduates. Kean University educates its students in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions; it is best known for its programs in the humanities and social sciences and in education, graduating the most teachers in the state of New Jersey annually, along with a physical therapy program which it holds in conjunction with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.[118]

Union County College, New Jersey

Union County College is the two-year community college for Union County, one of a network of 19 county colleges in New Jersey. Union County College was founded in 1933 and has campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Scotch Plains.[119]

Most municipalities have their own public high schools, exceptions being Garwood, whose students attend Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark; Winfield, whose students attend David Brearley High School in Kenilworth; and Mountainside, whose students attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights. Fanwood is mostly merged with Scotch Plains educationally and the two towns have one high school.

The county also has Union County Vocational Technical Schools, which has both full-time magnet programs that students must apply to, and split-time vocational programs.

Economy

The top employers in 2011, according to the Union County Economic Development Corporation, were:[120]

# Employer # of employees
1 Merck & Co. 10,000
2 New England Motor Freight 3,900
3 USI Services Group 3,200
4 Overlook Medical Center 2,961
5 Maher Terminals 1,700
6 Trinitas Hospital 1,674
7 Children's Specialized Hospital 1,440
8 Alcatel-Lucent 1,300
9 ConocoPhillips 1,000

Transportation

The county is served by rail, air, highways and ports.

Roads and highways

Garden State Parkway northbound entering Union County

As of 2010, the county had a total of 1,418.31 miles (2,282.55 km) of roadways, of which 1,158.45 miles (1,864.34 km) were maintained by the local municipality, 176.32 miles (283.76 km) by Union County and 66.22 miles (106.57 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, 16.22 miles (26.10 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and 1.10 miles (1.77 km) by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[121][122]

Major highways which traverse the county include the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), the Garden State Parkway, I-78, I-278, Route 1/9, Route 22, Route 24. Route 27, Route 28, Route 35 (only in Rahway), Route 82, Route 124, Route 439, and the Goethals Bridge. At 0.15 miles, Route 59, located entirely in Union County, is the shortest state highway in New Jersey.[123]

Public transportation

Passenger rail service is provide by NJ Transit via the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Raritan Valley Line, the Morristown Line and the Gladstone Branch.[124][125][126][127][128] Freight service is provided by on Conrail's Lehigh Line and Chemical Coast Branch. Freight and passenger rail service was provided by the Rahway Valley Railroad from 1897 until 1992 when the short line closed due to lack of customers.[129]

NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, as well as service to major cities in New Jersey and within Union County.[130]

The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is part of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.[131]

The southern portion of Newark Liberty International Airport is located in Elizabeth, within Union County.[132]

Municipalities

Index map of Union County municipalities (click to see index key)
Map
Interactive map of municipalities in Union County

Municipalities in Union County (with 2010 Census data for population, housing units and area) are:[133]

Municipality
(with map key)
Map key Municipal
type
Population Housing
Units
Total
Area
Water
Area
Land
Area
Pop.
Density
Housing
Density
Communities[134]
Berkeley Heights 21 township 13,183 4,596 6.27 0.05 6.21 2,122.4 739.9 Murray Hill (part)
Clark 14 township 14,756 5,751 4.49 0.19 4.30 3,430.5 1,337.0
Cranford 16 township 22,625 8,816 4.87 0.04 4.83 4,684.6 1,825.4
Elizabeth 11 city 124,969 45,516 13.46 1.15 12.32 10,144.1 3,694.7
Fanwood 6 borough 7,318 2,686 1.34 0.00 1.34 5,454.1 2,001.9
Garwood 5 borough 4,226 1,870 0.66 0.00 0.66 6,362.7 2,815.5
Hillside 19 township 21,404 7,536 2.76 0.01 2.75 7,784.0 2,740.6
Kenilworth 8 borough 7,914 2,924 2.16 0.00 2.16 3,668.3 1,355.3
Linden 12 city 40,499 15,872 11.41 0.73 10.68 3,793.8 1,486.8
Mountainside 3 borough 6,685 2,558 4.05 0.04 4.01 1,668.0 638.3
New Providence 2 borough 12,171 4,537 3.66 0.02 3.64 3,343.4 1,246.3 Murray Hill (part)
Plainfield 7 city 49,808 16,621 6.03 0.01 6.02 8,270.1 2,759.8
Rahway 13 city 27,346 11,300 4.03 0.13 3.90 7,016.8 2,899.5
Roselle 10 borough 21,085 7,939 2.66 0.01 2.65 7,953.5 2,994.7
Roselle Park 9 borough 13,297 5,231 1.23 0.00 1.23 10,792.7 4,245.8
Scotch Plains 20 township 23,510 8,896 9.05 0.03 9.02 2,606.9 986.4
Springfield 17 township 15,817 6,736 5.19 0.02 5.17 3,057.2 1,302.0
Summit 1 city 21,457 8,190 6.05 0.05 6.00 3,578.9 1,366.0
Union 18 township 56,642 20,250 9.09 0.02 9.07 6,244.3 2,232.4
Westfield 4 town 30,316 10,950 6.74 0.02 6.72 4,512.2 1,629.8
Winfield 15 township 1,471 714 0.18 0.00 0.18 8,320.1 4,038.5
Union County county 536,499 199,489 105.40 2.55 102.85 5,216.1 1,939.5

Arts and culture

  • The Union County Performing Arts Center, located in the Rahway Arts District, offers professional productions in music and theater as well as training in the performing arts.[135]
  • Kean Stage is the professional performing arts arm of Kean University. It is home to Wilkins Theatre on the Kean Main Campus in Union, Enlow Recital Hall directly across the Elizabeth River in East Campus in Hillside, as well as Premiere Stages, the professional equity theater company in residence at Kean University.[136][137]
  • The Cranford Dramatic Club is New Jersey's oldest continually producing theater and has been putting on theatrical productions since its establishment in 1919.[138]
  • Tomasulo Art Gallery is in the MacKay Library at Union County College's Cranford campus.[139]
  • The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, located in Berkeley Heights and New Providence, is a center for music training and other training in performing arts, particularly aimed at children. It consists of the Performing Arts School (formerly Wharton Music Center), New Jersey Youth Symphony, and Paterson Music Project.[140]
  • The Plainfield Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1919, making it the state's oldest community orchestra.[141]
  • The duCret School of Art in Plainfield was founded in 1926.[142]
  • The Swain Gallery, in Plainfield, was founded in 1868 and is the oldest privately owned art gallery in the state.[143]

Sister city

The county has a sister city relationship with Wenzhou in Zhejiang, China.[144][145]

See also

References

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  140. ^ Staff. "Joel Perry, guitarist and educator, has all the jazz", Courier News, December 3, 2016. Accessed January 3, 2017. "The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts' mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, according to the news release. Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Paterson, New Jersey and reaches students from 13 counties."
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  142. ^ Sagara, Eric. "Plainfield art school celebrates 85th anniversary", The Star-Ledger, March 26, 2012. Accessed December 22, 2016. "DuCret was founded in 1926 by Marjorie Van Emburgh, a local artist and teacher who wanted to create an art school comparable to what was found in major metropolitan areas such as New York City or Philadelphia."
  143. ^ History, Swain Galleries. Accessed January 3, 2017.
  144. ^ "Position Paper on Sister State and Sister City Relations Between Australia and China", Australia-China Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New South Wales, dated November 14, 2001. Accessed August 30, 2015.
  145. ^ Dennis, Anita. "New Jersey & Co.; The Selling of New Jersey, and Its Difficulties", The New York Times, October 1, 2000. Accessed February 25, 2017. "In addition, the Chinese province has a long relationship with the state and with Union County. Zheijiang and New Jersey are sister states, and Wenzhou, another city in the province, has been a sister city with Union County for the past 19 years -- though there has been little trade between them."